For the First time
by zero00359
Summary: Caught in the rain, bloody and torn, cold and empty. His kindness helped her see the light that brought her away from the ugly world she escaped from. OCxSionxNezumi Rated M for gore, sexual content, dark themes, YAOI and quite a bit of cussing
1. Bloody welcome

Me: I'm starting another story. Mainly because I found this after rummaging through my fanfic folder. I saw that I had already written five parts to it so I just thought; 'what the hell'. I didn't put much effort in this writing the story though, so forgive me if you think the writing is a bit sloppy.

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><p>It was raining that night.<p>

Sion heard the first warnings of a storm happening just as he had glanced outside, turning his eyes away from the book he had laid before him. His room was dim but the lightning outside provided more than enough light for him if he were to shut the lights off.

Somehow, with the breathtaking scene happening outside, his thoughts raced and he found that it was hard to look away now that he had his complete attention driven away.

His mother was asleep seeing as it was well past midnight already and the entire street didn't even shift at the harsh winds that pounded on their windows. Sion watched as the rain quickly coated the little window beside his desk, creating different shapes and shadows that spilled over the floor and on the walls.

He had forgotten to shut the curtains again. A bad habit of his that he never really bothered to fix seeing as he was always so used to seeing the open view from the large window back in his house in Kronos. As he grew up, he was always so used to just looking off to his side in thought and expecting to see dark black sky looking back at him with that single light from the moon illuminating from above.

Sion leaned back on his chair.

There was a storm that night too. That night that it all began. The night that completely changed him, as a man and a simple person. And Sion owed it all him.

Briefly, he wondered if Nezumi was thinking to same thing where ever he was right now. If he could see the very same sky Sion was looking at right now and remember that night when Sion first gave him his first stitches, his warm bed and food and his friendship.

Sion wanted to know. He wanted... to see him again.

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><p>Deep within the swirling storm that dangerously began to stir over her head, her trembling hand couldn't hold on anymore. The more she persisted on the wound to stop bleeding, the more it flowed out from between her fingers. She almost chewed off her own bottom lip just trying to ward off the pain.<p>

Come on. She told herself. You've felt worse things than this.

The rain drenched her clothes and let the crimson liquid run free from the gash on her hip and another on the side of her right thigh. She had scraped it against the sharp edge of a rock after trying to slide past some shady men that seemed to have spotted her before and called out to her.

How sick can they be? She was injured and bleeding and all those men thought of was trying to get her out of her clothes.

Her stomach churned but she forced the bile down her throat and pushed her legs to move along the slippery surface. It seemed she had arrived at a bus station, she wasn't sure. She didn't even know if she was in the right place.

As she weakly hung onto the sides of shops and many walls for support, she found her vision wavering from time to time. It was from the blood loss in her wounds. They were getting worse and it told her that she needed to get help now or death will follow after.

Gritting her teeth stubbornly, her sharp but dreary looking azure eyes flickered and blinked many times to see past the blinding rain and look for any signs of salvation.

Surviving. That was all she thought of right now.

A sharp wind began to pick up around her and she knew she wasn't going to last with these wounds and that storm. And just as he hopes were close to diminishing completely, she took one last look upwards at the sky and her breath stalled when she saw someone, a man standing at the balcony of his house.

Even though the wind was practically slicing through him and threatening to strip him of his clothes, he just stood there.

He had the most beautiful snow white hair that danced around him and showed off his pale fair skin, making it easy for that strange mark around his neck and cheek for her to spot even as she stood there, a good several feet away from him.

Her back hit the wall behind her as her gut gave a sickening wrench and she had to bite her tongue just to keep the strange acidic feeling bubbling in her gut down. Yet she couldn't take her eyes off the man. He looked so calm yet it showed in his stance that he was fighting the force of the wind that blew through him.

He looked like a true angel from the heavens.

It made her heart flip despite the subtle pain that still coursed through her body. She could hardly feel it anymore though. The sight of him became a brief distraction from the burning sensations in her body. She wanted to just reach out to him and call out, but what would she say? She didn't know his name and she could hardly think of anything to call a stranger by when you haven't even met eyes yet.

Still, she yearned to be close to that angelic figure as if he were the very salvation and key to her survival. It seemed to have distracted her too much as the next second, she found her vision blurring until all she could see was this black abyss before her body fell weak.

Though, she could feel her heart still pounding away when the eyes of that angel finally flickered downwards at her.

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><p>Me: What do you think so far? :) Is it to your liking? Or no? Please review and tell me your thoughts, criticism is always welcome.<p> 


	2. An angel

Me: Yay. :D Got my first review. :D Special thanks to .fire for confirming for me that there are people out there that do care for stories like these! XD cookies for you! :D Oh and I shall dedicate this chapter to her to go in with the special thanks. ^_^

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><p>Sion was beyond surprised and panicked at the same time. He rubbed his eyes as if to test if they were betraying him but sure enough he could still see her.<p>

A young woman was lying there on the ground, passed out by the wall just opposite his mother's bakery across the narrow street. He recognized the growing pool of blood beneath her and he felt his legs almost give out after his mind raced through the very image of watching this woman collapse right before his eyes.

Sion didn't think of anything else after that. He raced back inside of the house and hastily grabbed for his blanket on his untouched bed. Not bothering to wake his mother, he sprinted downstairs, his clothes making small puddles on the floor and stairs as he yanked open the front entrance from the bakery and left it to bang against the wall.

His legs were trembling when he got to where she lay and quickly, he dropped to his knees and covered her lifeless body with the blanket before clumsily wrapping her with it and slipping one arm under her legs and the other around her shoulders. Blood and water soaked easily through the cloth but Sion ignored the heavy warm feeling in his arms and body and carefully but quickly raced back inside the bakery.

"Sion! What on earth is going on! Why is the front door open and-"

His mother abruptly stopped in shock when she saw her own son run into the house with a bleeding body in his arms. He was out of breath and soaked to the bone but Sion continued to make his way upstairs past his mother.

"Sh-she collapsed outside. I'm going to take her into my room and see if I can stitch her up." He said quickly without stopping once as Karan tried to reach out towards him.

"S-Sion! I-I don't understand!"

"Please get the first aid kit!"

Karan pulled back and shakily nodded as Sion carried the woman's limp body into his open bedroom. As gently as possible, he lay her upon his bed and unfolded the blanket.

Her face was flushed and there was blood everywhere. The areas where it seemed to be the source were caked in thick crimson liquid and Sion was afraid that it was too late as the wounds might have already been infected or clotted with blood.

He stripped himself of his jacket just as his mother rushed inside with towels, a basin of water and the first aid kit all in her arms. She knelt beside her son who flipped open the white plastic box to produce all the bandages and some more items like disinfectant onto the floor.

He reached for a towel and Karan did the same. Sion first noticed the deep slice on her left hip to be the biggest wound and so he immediately began on that as his mother shifted on the other side to tend to the slice on her thigh.

Sion's heart was beating fast as he heard the wind lashing against the windows, almost as if to harmonize with the heavy beating in his chest and the rain that poured in just seemed to add into the pressure he felt of having a stranger die in his own bed. The atmosphere was thick and Sion could tell his mother was feeling just as terrified as he was for this poor woman.

He could still feel some form of warmth radiating off of her skin through her clothes, she must have a chance. He tried to stay positive, he told himself over and over that he was going to save this person's life no matter what. For some, reason, Sion remembered his words.

_'... Do you regret that you've let yourself live?'_

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><p>Morning came too soon. Her dark eyes weren't used to such a bright morning greeting her after when she woke up as her eyes opened into slits before she groaned in annoyance and shut them back. She wanted to lie on her side and avoid the blinding light that came from her right but found that her whole body seemed to be stuck in that one position.<p>

Oh no.

Her eyes blew back wide open and her body jerked up to see if her assumptions were correct or not but she found herself stopped for two reasons.

One, there was this unbearable pain that struck her from so many different places at once, all she would do was wince and flinch all over and over when she tried to figure out where the initial pain came from. And two, she could feel something warm and quite heavy weighing down on her wrist and hand which made her stop and flinch at the same time.

"Huh?"

What the...?

She felt her heart stop at the sight of soft snow white hair splayed out over the sheets. The profile of his face looked even more lovely from up-close that she found herself trying to lean in as close as possible just to see more of him.

The red mark that stood out around his neck coiled around it like a collar of some sort, then after following the line with her eyes she found that it actually continued, winding all the way around the back of his scalp and ending underneath his eye, just on the rise of his cheekbone.

He looked so young, so pretty up close and yet he seemed to be about the same age as her.

Her body stiffened when his stirred. It was too late by the time she lay back down on the sheets and close her eyes as she found the most wonderful pair of ruby red eyes blinking sleepily down at the sheets and her pale arm before shifting to see her flushed expression.

"Ah! You're awake!" She almost jumped when he did. His entire body seemed to just come to life as he sat up on the small chair he was seated on beside her and he smiled in relief. He looked down for a brief moment when he felt her shift awkwardly and his expression changed once he realized he had been sleeping on her arm the whole time.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't realize I had fallen asleep on you!" He was quick to defend and apologize which she found that it suited him quite well. So her angel was just a jumpy, naive kid?

"Where... where am I?" Her head throbbed now that she actually thought about something else other than her beautiful savior. It was obviously morning now and even as the room was left in a complete mess after last night, there was something delicious that wafted in from the slightly ajar door.

"You were hurt so I brought you here." Her responded with a polite but nervous smile. "My name is Sion. What's yours?"

She hesitated. For an angel, he was oddly... different. In a way that made her feel as she always does when meeting someone for the first time, like you can't trust them, even if he saved her.

"...Ren." She muttered softly, but loud enough for Sion to pick up easily.

He smiled. That expression on her face somehow reminded him of someone.

"Are you hungry? I think my mother is just about finished with breakfast. I'll come back."

So he lives with his mother? Ren bit her bottom lip in. It was a habit really that she couldn't help in times like these. She only ever did it if she was ever nervous or put in great concentration. She watched the young man stand and leave the room, as he left the door wider open, Ren inhaled in the delicious scent of what seemed to be freshly baked pastry and bread.

At the same time her stomach began to growl loudly that she had to press her palm against it just to try to quell the embarrassing sounds. It didn't cease though. Ren groaned quietly to herself before she gently set herself back down on the sheets.

So this is his bed? Ren closed her eyes as her thoughts drifted.

So soft and comfortable... As far as she knew, she's never felt anything like this before. It was weird. She was sleeping in some strangers home, in his bed and yet she felt more at ease than ever. After all, she did owe him her life.

And yet, at the same time, Ren knew she had to be wary of her situation. Her trust for this stranger can only go so far. Angel or not, she couldn't let her walls down just for anybody.

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><p>Me: So? What do you think of it now? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this fic, I really do since it's quite different from the ones I've read in here. When I was creating Ren I wanted her to have some of Nezumi's qualities from when Nezumi and Sion first met when they were 12 but at the same time she had to have something different to kinda pull her away from the Nezumi image. :P (does that make sense?) Anyway, there's going to be more development between Sion and Ren in future chapters as well as her dangerous desu~ past. :D Oh and Nezumi's coming in real soon. :D<p>

Ciao~


	3. Message in a Bottle

Me: Here's the next chapter. Hope you guys are liking it so far. I wasn't so sure when I started writing this story since (yes it is) going to be a love triangle. hehe... ^_^; I hope you NezuShi fans out there won't bash me for this. (I'm a big NezuShi fan as well!) The idea just came to me and even though I'm just about five chapters into the story I'm still not sure about the final FINAL pairing... o.o (Argh! I don't know what I'm doing! D:)

Kurapica: You're going to kill yourself if you keep over working yourself.

Me: I know... I know... -.-

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><p>There was a storm last night.<p>

Nezumi smiled to himself as he was easily reminded of that night when everything changed for him.

The storm almost exactly resembled that night too.

That very moment when it all changed and all he saw was that naive face and those innocent eyes of someone he now considered as a close friend.

He never had one of those. It almost sounded impossible for someone like Nezumi and yet, here he was. Enjoying a half empty bottle of red wine by himself and sitting at the top of a building, enjoying the sunrise, thinking about him.

He took a swig from the bottle before placing it down on the roof surface. Beside him, two mice, one black the other a light brown, squeaked and huddled around each other for warmth. It was an amusing sight really. For robots, they seemed more real than usual to him.

So much that it the sight of them reminded him of the last time he held another body like that so close to him for warmth.

Nezumi turned away, picking the bottle of wine up by the neck and taking another long drink.

He wanted to see him.

His chest ached. He didn't want to admit it, but it probably hurt him the most out of both of them for him to leave first. Though he did vow for them to meet again, he could still remember that teary look on his face when he turned away and left him there on the barren deserted land, all alone.

Also, he needed his other trusty mouse back with him. After all, things just haven't been the same without 'Hamlet'.

As the cold morning air rushed against his neck and face, Nezumi sat back with his hands suppourting him from behind and he threw his head back and laughed to himself.

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><p>Three days had passed since Ren woke up in the house of her savior. She found out that his mother was actually a very young and pretty lady that ran a bakery downstairs. Although, she didn't say much during her stay with them, they didn't seem to mind.<p>

To be honest, Ren wasn't feeling so blessed anymore the longer she stayed under their roof. Something just didn't sit well with her.

"Is it okay if I leave the window open?" Sion offered a smile over his shoulder, his hands poised at the curtains.

Ren gives him a side glance before turning her head back down to her twined fingers over her lap.

"...Yeah." She mumbled out, just barely loud enough for Sion to pick up. He didn't mind her quiet and uncooperative demeanor though, as long as he was able to provide for her Sion was satisfied.

There was just something about her that made him want to take care of this girl. She didn't look any older than him, and despite her pale skin and thin figure, Sion guessed she was at least about his age or maybe even a little younger.

She had long dark cherry red hair, yet he could see the difference in her roots which were much darker. The untrimmed strands fell over her shoulders and pooled at her back. She must have been growing her hair out for awhile now. The color was dull but it was beautiful nonetheless, Sion remembered how pretty it looked drenched in the rain that night he found her.

She almost resembled a broken doll.

"Sion! Can you help me with something!" It was his mother calling from downstairs.

The bakery was getting more business than usual after his mother added new things into the menu as well as thanks to more citizens being welcomed into the new No.6. Sion also found himself helping out a lot more and learning more about baking. Seeing as he was currently unemployed and not in school, at least he was busy.

His fath- Rikiga, visited them a few months back for the first time. Sion could still remember how he immediately fell in a heap of tears after seeing Karan standing there, looking pleasantly surprised at the sight of him.

He didn't look any different from when Sion last saw him, leaving with Inukashi and yet at the same time he looked a lot less of a man than he did when he first met him after that woman left him.

Sion never thought much of what happened to him and Inukashi afterwards. He just assumed they had gotten back to their lives with the slight change after the wall between No.6 and the Western district finally collapsed.

After fives years, No.6 grew into one large city. There was no more large protruding blister that became the center of the city. No.6 was now just... a lace where everybody lived. It wasn't perfect, and that's just how Sion pictured it to be.

"Your mother is calling you..." Ren spoke softly and yet Sion picked it up perfectly as he snapped out of his trance and turned away from the window.

"Sion!"

"Uh, coming!" He called right back before throwing another glance at Ren.

She wasn't even looking at him anymore. She was lying back down on the bed with her eyes closed and her breathing even like she was asleep even though she had just spoken to him a second ago. Sion smiled to himself before reaching back towards the window and cracking it open to allow a refreshing spring breeze roll into his bedroom.

He walked out seconds later, leaving Ren in complete silence as her dark blue eyes opened slightly to stare up at the ceiling.

Sion then raced down in record speed wondering if his mother was annoyed that he hadn't answered her the first time. As he rounded down and almost jumped to the bottom of the stairs, he looked up, expecting to find his mother standing there with a basket full of bread in her arms and a scolding about paying more attention to his mother but instead, his entire body almost gave out when he saw something else being carefully cradled in his mothers cupped hands as she stood there at the center of the bake shop.

The store had only recently been opened in the morning and it was empty as far as Sion could tell. He took a step forward, his fingers began to tremble as he looked at his mothers tearful smile.

"Look Sion." She say, stretching her arms out towards him as if to offer the little brown mouse who turned its head up at Sion, looking up at him expectantly.

"It's... Cravat..." Sion almost whispered, though he was becoming more and more curious as to how and why the little mouse was here in the first place. Only one thing came to mind.

Nezumi.

"He was tapping on the window." Karan said as Sion reached out to let the small animal scurry into his palm and press it's nose against his flesh, tickling him.

"And?" Sion almost chocked out the words, he was just stuck in a state of wonder. Was he finally going to get his wish and see Nezumi again? Had he changed at all? Sion began wondered if he got any taller since five years ago.

"I thought..." Karan spoke slowly, her voice trailing off, showing how disappointed she was as she held her hands to her chest, suddenly looking solemn. "But he didn't have anything with him when I saw him, he was just there by the door."

"Nezumi..." Sion couldn't help but voice aloud his thoughts.

His mother had yet to meet the mystery boy that Sion took under his wing all those years ago. It was actually quite odd that he had never asked about Nezumi as much as he thought she would after they had reunited. Karan insisted that she was just happy that Sion was alive and well and that Nezumi was also the same after he had seen him off that day.

Little did Sion know, Karan was worried about the man who saved her son's life just as much as she did back then for Sion when he went missing.

Karan owed him so much and yet she had never seen the face of the man she wanted to thank a million times over.

Sion held the mouse up to his eye level, staring back at his blinking red eyes and watching his nose twitch and his hands to paw over his small face. Nezumi wouldn't send one of them over to Sion for no reason, would he?

"Maybe-"

_"It's been awhile."_

That voice...!

Sion almost jerked awake as a familiarity filled him to the core. It had to be him! His mother sent him a worried look at her son's sudden change of expression. She didn't hear it.

_"Outside."_

The voice spoke once more and Sion swallowed hard as he held the small mouse closer to his face.

"Nezumi!"

Karan blinked in surprise. Had she missed something after all? Why couldn't she see what her son as seeing? She was beginning to feel a lot more concerned at the fact that her son was speaking to a small mouse in his hand when she could hear nothing but the small squeaking noises it made which practically filled the room.

"Sion? What's going on?"

He took in a shaky breath and looked his mother in the eye. "I-I'll be right back." And with that, he took off out of the bakery and into the streets, his mother calling out to him from the door.

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><p>Me: School's in a few more weeks and I have to prepare for level one NCEA. o.o My new years resolution is to pass level 1 with flying colors. :D (and to stop procrastinating) Hopefully I can keep my resolution.<p> 


	4. Serendipity

Sion could hear his heart pounding wildly in his chest. It almost felt as if it were about to jump out of his chest at any moment now. The pounding his of his shoes on the ground and the harsh breaths he took as he ran down the road filled his ears.

Where was he going? He didn't know. Sion just knew that his brain wasn't playing tricks on him and what he heard was true.

Where is he?

Sion wanted to see him.

He had the small brown mouse tucked safely into the pocket of his coat and he found it fortunate to have the streets quite empty this early in the morning. Though the sun was beating down on him and the wind began to pick up the faster he ran, Sion didn't stop and he found that he couldn't as he bumped into the corner of a store and hardly winced at the pain of a bruise that was sure to form there.

Sion didn't want to stop. Not until he saw him.

Where are you?

Sion almost collapsed. He was out of breath and he had his hands clasped to his knees in an attempt to catch his breath faster. His eyes felt hot and his chest ached with the need to go on.

"Where are you...? Nezumi?" His throat tightened at he voice his thoughts aloud into the plaza which was currently empty and eerily quite with the exception of a small fountain that stood at the center.

Usually, this place would be bustling with children and families of all kinds. It was one of the noisiest places in Lost Town. Sion often came here when he was a student to study in his free time as well. He also used to come here with Safu who visited him frequently even though she lived all the way in Kronos.

Now, Sion could hear nothing but the birds chirping as they flew by and the small fountain gushing out nearby. In his chest, his heart pounded wild in his chest.

Nezumi... Where are you?

"Giving up already?" Sion could feel his heart picking up once more in speed as he drew up from his knees and frantically turned to where he heard that voice.

All of a sudden, he wasn't feeling so out of breath anymore. Right now, all he felt was this immense relief and happiness as he realized that this wasn't a dream at all. His chest swelled with emotion and he felt his legs moving forward on the surface towards him.

Sion was right. He grew even taller and Sion still was no match for him. He had to tilt his head up just to look into his eyes and see how they matched that cocky smile on his face.

As far as Sion was concerned, Nezumi must have missed him just as much to be smiling like that at him.

He stopped once he was just about at arms length away from him. He took in a shaky breath as he felt his fingers tremble and his knees knock together from the effort of trying to stay upright. Sion felt that he could have collapsed at any moment now. He was exhausted damn it and it was his entire fault.

"Whoa- Hey, Sion." Nezumi's hands, large and strong, reached out to steady him on his feet just as Sion lost all strength in his limbs as he fell forward. He could feel Nezumi against him, warm and comforting like a safety blanket.

The same microfiber cloth that he wore around his neck felt soft to Sion's cheek as he pressed his face against it. He took in his scent and recognized it to be the same even all those years ago. He smelled of the outside world.

Fresh but with that slight musk that reminded him of the forest and the mountains.

Sion missed this.

"It's all your fault, Nezumi." He mumbled against him as the taller male tugged him closer so he wouldn't slump down to the floor.

"My fault? Is that how you greet someone you haven't seen in five years?" Nezumi snorted in amusement. He certainly missed this as well.

Sion was silent for a moment as he was busy in relishing the feel of the man he had missed all those years ago. The man that promised him they would find each other once more. The man that changed and saved his life at the same time.

He didn't complain when Nezumi strung his fingers through the fine white strands of his hair. His hair grew a longer; it fell over the back of his neck and rested on the nape of his neck. The red scar on his neck and cheek looked the same as ever, standing proud over his fair pale skin.

Nezumi held him closer, pressing his smile on the crown of his head.

The trip back to the bakery was a long grueling one. For Nezumi anyway, who was forced into carrying the semi-conscious Sion on his back the rest of the way seeing as he had tired himself out after that long run around the town and into the plaza.

"Damn, you've been eating a lot more haven't you?"

"How rude..."

Nezumi released a sound between a grunt and a snort as he hoisted the smaller boy up higher on his back. "Tch. Should I just leave you here or would you prefer to sit under the shade?" Nezumi joked though he was scowling.

He felt the tip of Sion's soft nose brush against the back of his neck through his hair.

"You were the one that made me run around."

"I didn't tell you to run around like an idiot, did I?"

"Still... I just wanted to see you."

There was a smile on Nezumi's face as he stepped up a small flight of stairs and through the narrow streets of Lost Town. His mother must be worried about him. With a son like Sion, you had to be. Even though he was already at this age he was still as simple as ever. Always asking questions, always wondering and pondering. Nezumi liked that about him. He was glad to know he was still the same after all this time.

"Are you going to take me away again?" Sion suddenly asked, making Nezumi suck in a breath at his question.

"What do you mean?"

There was a pause that drifted between them. Nezumi was beginning to feel worried himself, but for a completely different reason.

"Did you come back to save me again? Am I in trouble?"

Nezumi was amused as he didn't hold back the grin on his face. He wanted to laugh aloud right then and there but it was dangerous to do that with Sion on his back. So he settled for snickering quietly to himself.

"Wh... What's so funny, Nezumi?" Sion frowned but he didn't see it.

"You're such an airhead." Was all Nezumi said as he shok his head lightly to himself.

Sion's frown deepened, he didn't like to be left confused and Nezumi knew that all too well.

"Who's an airhead? And why were you laughing? Did I say something strange?" Sion wanted to bonk him on the head but didn't as he realized how quickly Nezumi could change moods.

He kept chuckling to himself though, as if he were enjoying a private joke before he suddenly hoisted Sion up even higher on his back and pointed his grin over his shoulder towards him.

"It's nothing. I guess I just missed how simple minded you really are."

Sion suddenly felt his body go weak and the sudden want to doze off and sleep grew the more he immersed himself in Nezumi's warmth and comfort. His arms unconsciously tightened around Nezumi's neck, bringing his face even closer to him until his face was pressed firmly against the back of his neck.

Nezumi could feel his steady breath hitting his skin and he could feel how warm Sion also felt.

Just like last time...

"Nezumi."

"Yeah?" His voice was soft.

"I missed you too."

"... Yeah."

The next few minutes spent going back to the bakery was spent in silence. Neither of them minded.

It wasn't strange between them to just be have moments of silence together. It was moments like these were they could mull over their own thoughts and just enjoy each other's company.

Nezumi remembered the times when Sion was just impossible to deal with when they used to live with each other back in the old Western District. All that talk about destroying the wall between the city he hated and the city they hated, Nezumi wasn't all that surprised at how the people quickly adapted to the change. Though it was a little awkward and tense at the beginning, the citizens from both sides seemed to have enough humility and dignity to build themselves up from what happened.

Not everybody knew what was going on. The how and why was never answered but that was just fine with them. They continued to live like normal humans.

Nezumi could have laughed out loud at how hilarious it all really was.

In the end, he did get his revenge.

"Sion! Where did you- oh..." Karan stopped in mid-sentence. Her voice echoed within the small still-empty bakery.

She was glad to see her son but what caught her off guard was the other stranger that offered her a kind charming smile. He had Sion on his back, giving her the impression that something happened.

"Are you...?" Her voice stopped again, the shock began to settle in slowly.

The man with long dark hair gave no sign of harm as he gave a slight bow despite having Sion clinging to his back. "Pleased to finally meet you Karan. I'm Nezumi."


	5. First impressions

Me: Omfg am I dreaming? :O Or could it be... I updated! XD Even I'm amazed at myself. I just want to apologize a million times for this extremely super really late update... School has been sucking the life out of me these past few months and well, yeah, I bet you all know how that feels. orz Anyway! Here's the latest chapter. :D Enjoy it to your hearts content my ladies and gents.

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><p>Nezumi wasn't that all surprised to find himself pleasantly enjoying a cup of tea with a few pastries all laid out deliciously before him. He was smiling smugly to himself from the rim of his tea cup when he met Sion's flustered gaze across the table.<p>

As adorable as he was like that, Nezumi steadily grew curious as to why Sion was suddenly acting all nervous and fidgety around him.

"What's wrong Sion? You don't look happy at all to see me." He joked with a cheeky grin that he could not contain.

Sion averted his eyes from him and continued to anxiously lace his fingers together from beneath the table. For some reason, he didn't think it was a very good idea to tell him about the woman in his bedroom. There wasn't a dirty meaning behind it at all, and Nezumi would have thought so too but Sion just wasn't sure how Nezumi would react. Also, he had a very bad feeling that their first meeting wouldn't go too well.

Before his mother took them to the small balcony they used sometimes for outdoor dining for tea and snacks, he asked her to check up on Ren if she was still asleep or not, just to make sure seeing as he left her alone all afternoon to catch up with Nezumi.

"I'm fine. I'm just thinking..." Sion let his voice trail off as he looked to the side with a distant look on his face.

Nezumi tilted his head curiously. "Thinking about what?"

Sion was quiet for a moment and Nezumi wondered if whatever was on his mind so important that he actually had the nerve to continue thinking about other things when he was right here with him. Nezumi cursed himself. He wasn't here to monopolize him. Of course Sion was important to him but he didn't come all the way out here just to chat over tea and snacks. He frowned after realizing how cheesy it all sounded to him.

Placing his cup firmly down on the table, Nezumi sat upright in his seat. "What's wrong Sion?"

Taken aback by his sudden abrupt question, Sion tensed a little in his seat. His fingers were trembling a little that he had to form them into tight fists just to stop them from shaking so much. That look Nezumi gave him practically forced his mouth to work without him knowing it.

"Something strange happened Nezumi."

The taller male leaned across the table, his eyes narrowing in slight suspicion as he gave him the sign to go on.

"I found someone."

"You... found someone?"

"Yeah... There was a storm the other day and I couldn't sleep."

At the same time, they were both reminded of that day but Sion mentally shook his head as did Nezumi who was blinking curiously at him.

"So I went outside in the balcony and then I saw her lying there, bleeding..." Sion kept his gaze down on his lap.

Her? Nezumi couldn't help but feel a little strange after Sion said those words. He saw a girl bleeding under a storm?

"Where is she then?" Nezumi wanted to quell this odd black feeling that swirled in his gut and threatened to spill all out of him. It didn't feel pleasant and for some reason, Nezumi found himself forming a tight fist underneath the table.

Sion met his eyes from up his lashes. "In my room..." He admitted softly.

Nezumi forced his nerves to calm. He didn't know why he was feeling so angry. He shouldn't be. The girl was injured from what he remembered. Then again, Sion was known for his track record of misunderstanding and assuming.

Who knows what that girl could do to him?

He suddenly got up which alarmed Sion who looked up at Nezumi with confusion.

"Show me." He said with finality in his voice.

A little stunned by his sudden interest, Sion stammered. "U-um, my mom's changing her bandages right now."

Nezumi scoffed. So what? Not like he was actually interested in seeing a girl naked. He dragged his eyes back to where Sion blinked curiously up at him. Innocent and completely fucking clueless. Nezumi fought the urge to smirk. He missed that look on his face.

"Ah! Wait Nezumi-!"

He wasn't listening. Nezumi was already halfway down the hallway when Sion finally caught up but it was too late as Nezumi simply slammed the door to Sion's bedroom open and sure enough there was a girl sitting upright in his bed, she wore the blanket around her naked chest and was keeping it around her figure as best as she could the moment she saw this stranger enter the room.

She stared at him. Eyes unblinking as their gazes met, Nezumi's attention was first directed to the flaming red hair that cascaded down her shoulders and pooled around her thin frame on the bed.

"Ah! Nezumi-san, you can't be here!" Karan immediately jumped from where she sat with a pile of bloody bandage on the floor beside her, her face flushed with slight panic.

Sion followed after Nezumi, yelping out a little when he bumped into his broad back.

"N-Nezumi…" Sion tugged on the back of his shirt in an attempt to gain the man's attention but when he didn't even regard Sion with so much as a glance back, Sion awaited his next words with tense shoulders.

"Who are you?" He asked with a smile pointed towards the stranger's way.

She, in turn, blinked back curiously at him, wondering to herself what she had done to deserve these two walking in on her completely bare for the world to see.

Deciding to let it pass, the young red headed girl clutched the blanket closer around her chest and looked Nezumi in the eye.

"Ren…"

"Ren?" Nezumi's smile only seemed to grow which scared Sion to be honest. "Nice to meet you, I'm Nezumi."

"Nice to meet you…"

An awkward pass of silence whisked by between the two sides of the room as Sion and his mother both looked anxiously at each other. Ren and Nezumi on the other hand remained as they were with their eyes boring into each other as if… they were studying each other.

Sion reached up for Nezumi once more but yelped when the taller male suddenly whipped around to face Sion.

"Alright, let's go back then. Sorry for disturbing you Karan," he paused to look over at the tense red head on the bed. "And Ren." He bowed elegantly their way before sweeping Sion's arm with his own and heading back to where they were just moments ago with Ren's eyes burning in Nezumi's back.

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><p>Me: I was wondering if everybody was so far in character. They are right! Please tell me they are. Well, ahem, yeah... I've been having trouble trying to get back into the writingupdating scene since... it's been too damn long for me. :P I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you though. ^_^


	6. Caution!

Me: Ahem. ah... nice to see you all again wonderful people. um... p-please enjoy the chapter! *runs away to dodge barrage of sharp objects*

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><p>"Excuse me, miss Karan?"<p>

"Yes? How are you feeling Ren?"

Fidgeting under the older woman's kind and warm smile, she averted her eyes to the bandages that wrapped around her hands which had been nicked a little from the gravel when he collapsed and rubbed her fingers nervously on the rough material. She coughed uncomfortably.

"Just fine… Um who was that person who, uh…"

"O-oh!" A flush made itself known as the old mother chuckled anxiously in a feeble attempt to lighten the mood. "That's Nezumi, he's an old friend of Sion. I'm sure he didn't really mean to walk in and…" Her voice trailed off as she tried to find the right words before giving up with a shake of her head and smiling lightly to reassure the puzzled red head. "Anyway, please don't worry about it. He will be staying with us for a while though too, I think. Would you like to speak with him?"

Ren curled her fingers around the blanket on her lap and bowed her head, her dull hair falling in endless waterfalls of red around her pale figure. "No. That's alright. Thank you miss Karan…"

"Please, just call me Karan."

"Huh?"

Another warm reassuring warm gaze met with the somewhat timid Ren who suddenly felt uneasy as she gripped the blankets in her fragile fingers.

"You're a welcomed guest Ren, even though I haven't known you for very long I feel as if that Sion finding you that night wasn't only by chance."

"Wh… what do you mean?"

Karan's shoulders relax visibly in contrast to Ren's whose were lifted a tad higher than usual.

"Oh no!" Karan jumped, seeming to not have picked up Ren's quite murmur. "I should start preparing this afternoons batch! I'm sorry Ren, I'll have Sion bring in your lunch soon okay?"

With a final smile from Karan, Ren was finally left alone with her thoughts and her shoulders still immensely stiff.

Closing her eyes, she forced a sigh and lowered herself onto the bed, staring up into the white ceiling a frown etched over her features.

_Nezumi? Have I heard that name somewhere before?_

Shaking her head, Ren carefully turned over to lie on her side, staring at Sion's neat dresser against the wall. That look on his face, the way he stared at her didn't feel right at all. He looked at her like she was an enemy, as if she had something that belonged to him. Still, those grey eyes, though she couldn't clearly see them, were evident enough as they darkened and bore into her being.

The tension felt through his gaze had her feeling uneasy ever since then, with Karan's words also lingering fresh in her mind, though she didn't sense any ill intention in them she didn't like the way these people had so freely thrown their trust about.

Sion especially… Ren didn't particularly hate it and yet she felt bothered by it.

"Why…?"

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><p>"Hey Nezumi, that was really unnecessary you know." Sion was frowning at his taller friend who stood with his back to him as Sion followed him into the small living area.<p>

A simple shrug and a quiet grunt was all that regarded Sion which made him scowl.

"Are you listening?"

"Yeah?" Nezumi turned to look over his shoulder with that irritating smirk curling on his young face which only irked Sion more as he remembered all those painful memories where he had been a victim of that cruel smirk.

Dropping the small glass ornament Nezumi had been examining back gently on the shelf, Nezumi stepped over to settle himself on the comfy couch with his legs crossed and his arms spread over the back of the furniture, visibly relaxing as he sighed. Sion stopped for a moment, wondering if that sigh he just emitted was an angry one.

"Didn't matter." Nezumi practically mumbled, staring up at the blank white ceiling as Sion stood his ground. "Seems she's not overly friendly, I guess that's good. I hate that type."

"Huh? Where are you getting at Nezumi?"

The raven haired man pursed his lips, an action invisible to Sion before he sighed again and picked his head up to meet his crimson gaze. All of a sudden Sion could see how his gaze had hardened the more he stared back. Having lived with Nezumi for quite an extended period of time, Sion has come to recognize all kinds of looks he saw on Nezumi.

This one said that Nezumi wasn't playing around.

"Just be careful." The taller man said, directing a scolding finger at him. "You never know what kind of dark cruel intentions the people you save have."

All of a sudden Sion was reminded of Nezumi and himself when they were only the foolish age of twelve and he was about to smile when Nezumi kept going.

"And I know how stupid you get with strangers."

Sion blushed and Nezumi smirked that stupid smirk.

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><p>Me: How was it? Please tell me what you think! You're reviews fuel my motivation (Or rather lack of) haha. I'm really sorry. It's just I've been going through some really life changing times here. It's been a frustrating time too and even though I'm always trying and picking up a pen and paper to write m brain shuts off and it's just... yeah, frustrating. But I'm trying so please excuse my absence. :) And I'm telling you now - I have not abandoned my stories!<br>^^


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